How to Use This Book

You can read the book from cover to cover if you like, but you may be better served by picking an interesting item from the table of contents and just diving in.

If you're relatively new to IRC, you should consider starting with a few hacks from each progressive chapter. Chapter 1 starts you off by showing you how to connect to IRC, while Chapter 2 acquaints you with the everyday concepts you'll need to use IRC effectively. Chapter 3 is all about users and channels, and it introduces the first pieces of code. Chapter 4 shows you how to make useful enhancements to IRC clients. Chapter 5 is where you will learn the basics about creating IRC bots, with Chapter 6-Chapter 12 introducing more complex bots that can be used for logging, servicing communities, searching, announcing, networking, managing channels, or simply having fun. Chapter 13 delves into the IRC protocol in more detail, and Chapter 14 demonstrates some interesting alternative methods for connecting to IRC. Finally, Chapter 15 will move you on to new pastures by showing you how to set up your own IRC server.